📹 Should you make a video resume?

Hi there 😎 

Today in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn about six big, audacious bets to land a new job -- that worked (and whether you should incorporate this into your job search strategy).

Plus, the best links and resources on remote work. You'll learn:

• 🟥 Watch for these red f​​lags in remote job listings

• 🐭Remote workers set up shop at Disney World

• 🇺🇸More Americans are doing side hustles

Let’s jump in:

🤯 From 0 Interviews to +1,000,000 Impressions

After hundreds of job applications, Marta Puerto, a product marketing manager from Spain, needed a new way to stand out. 

A killer video marketing herself as the product. 

Standing out amongst hundreds of applicants is tough. But “Meet Marta: The Movie” helped Marta cut through the noise. At the time of this writing, on LinkedIn the video has: 

• 147,160 likes

• 7,244 comments

• 5,452 reposts

…which totals to (easily) over a million impressions. 

I call this type of job-hunting tactic a “moonshot.” It’s a big, audacious bet to capture attention. 

According to Marta, this moonshot paid off. She said she’s now “inundated” with interview requests and received over 5,000 LinkedIn connection requests.

But she’s certainly not the first moonshot that captured the Internet’s attention. 

5 Moonshots That Landed People Jobs

In each of these examples, creativity and execution helped these people get noticed in a competitive job market. 

1/ Hire Me Billboard

In 2012, Bennett Olson was struggling to find a job. So he paid $300 to advertise on a Minneapolis billboard for 24 hours.

Shortly afterward, he reported accepting a job at a local 3D scanning company.

2/ Google Ads Portfolio 

Alec Brownstein used Google Ads to target specific creative directors. 

He spent $6, targeting five creative directors in New York City. When the directors Googled their names, Alec’s ad and message was the top result. Clicking on the ad brought the director to Alec’s website and portfolio. 

This landed Alec his role at Young & Rubicam Group. 

3/ The Interactive Video Resume 

Graeme Anthony shot an interactive video resume called the 'CVIV' and uploaded it to YouTube. Viewers could choose different aspects of his experience to view, creating their own custom experience. 

4/ Job Search via Pinterest

Jeanne Lam used a Pinterest board to create a “Pinterest” resume to apply to Pinterest.

She wrote: 

While she didn’t land her job at Pinterest, she did secure roles at GoPago, then Shapeways. 

5/ Amazon Product Page Resume 

Philippe Dubost created a resume that looked like an Amazon product page, including an Add to Cart option and “customer” reviews. 

The resume led to 800 messages and over 100 have been work-related, with job offers coming from Asia and Europe.

Should You Take Your Moonshot?

Done well and a moonshot bet can pay off, big.

But here are nuances to consider before investing time into a moonshot bet: 

1. Quality matters. To stand out, your moonshot needs to be great. In my opinion, Marta’s video went viral because it captured the frustrations of a workforce at a very particular moment in time. Also, it was excellent - just a beautiful video from the first frame on.

2. Narrative fallacy. These moonshots are part of the cultural zeitgeist because they worked. Remember that these are outsized, long-shot bets. By definition, most won’t. 

3. Non-iterative. If a moonshot does not work, it’s hard to understand why. For example, if Marta’s video didn’t go viral, would she know why? Should we shoot it again? Repost it in a week? Try a new distribution channel? It’s hard to iterate on moonshots. 

So, should you place a moonshot bet on yourself? 

What are the basics you prioritize first? 

• Target specific roles and companies

• Perform deep research into both 

• Polish your cover letter, resume and LinkedIn 

• Connect directly with decision makers 

• Practice until you interview like a natural

After you’ve locked-in the steps above, and if you’ve got the creative chops to put out something beautiful into the world, go for it. 

Fingers crossed I see your moonshot go viral 🤞

Where did Marta end up?

At the time of this writing, Marta has not updated her LinkedIn with a new role.

That’s a wrap. See you next week 👋

🤝 3 ways I can help you with remote work: